Nine-month Comprehensive Faculty

The Lead Instructor for the course is Aled Lewis. For each project, Aled is joined by a co-teacher who specializes in the relevant skills. The following list is subject to change. Most of the instructors have web sites which you can visit for more extensive views of their work.

Aled Lewis has been our Lead Instructor since 2009, when he came to the Center from Oxford, England. He originally trained at Rycotewood College in Oxfordshire and has been a professional furniture maker for over 30 years. Aled's professional experience covers a broad span, from self-employment as a one-of-a-kind furniture maker to managing a busy high-end workshop. He has wide experience in all aspects of designing and making one-off and limited-production furniture. His clients range from private collectors to public institutions such as Oxford University and London-based law and finance companies. Aled was profiled in the Winter 2011 issue of Woodwork magazine and featured on the back cover of Fine Woodworking in Februrary 2013. Watch Fine Woodworking's video about Aled here or visit his website at aledlewisfurniture.com.

Pi Stool by Aled Lewis, maple with soap finish (14"x14"x26"), 2014

Bruce Beeken is co-owner of Beeken Parsons in Shelburne VT, where he participates in making batch production seating for institutional settings such as college libraries, chapels and refectories, as well as one-off furniture for private and corporate clients. Beeken Parsons has also conducted research in the sustainable use of local wood, including lesser known species and lower grades. Bruce originally trained at Boston University’s Program in Artisanry in the late 1970s and was one of the influential makers included in the seminal retrospective, “The Maker’s Hand – American Studio Furniture 1940-1990” at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 2004. Bruce's website is www.beekenparsons.com.

Chason Lounge by Beeken Parsons, maple, leather, (32"x68"x35"), 2007

Aaron Fedarko is a full-time furniture designer, maker, and instructor in Rockland, ME, where he operates a group workshop. He graduated from our Nine-month Comprehensive in 2007 and subsequently participated in our Studio Fellowship Program. Aaron also works with GreenWood and PATs Peru, two nonprofit organizations that promote sustainable forestry management skills and teach woodworking to indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon basin. Aaron teaches the casepiece for the Comprehensive. To see more of Aaron’s work, visit fedarkofurniture.com.

Linden Frederick has been drawing and painting for more than 30 years. He studied at Ontario College of Art in Toronto and in Florence, Italy. Linden is also a third generation woodworker who has designed and built many pieces of furniture and cabinetry and is now building cellos of his own design. His studio is in Belfast, ME, and he is represented by Forum Gallery in New York City. His paintings have been featured and reviewed in American Artist, Art in America and ARTnews. Linden teaches presentation drawing for the Comprehensive. His website is lindenfrederick.com.

Linden Frederick

Beth Ireland has been a professional woodworker in Roslindale, MA since 1983, specializing in woodturning, furniture, and cabinetry. She holds a graduate degree in sculpture from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and her work has been widely exhibited and published throughout the U.S. Her business encompasses everything from one-of-a-kind sculpture to production runs of furniture and turnings, and she is the Lead Instructor for our Twelve-week Turning Intensive. Her website is bethireland.net.

Sarah Kay is a British furniture designer, based in London. Her work covers a broad spectrum, from bespoke designs for private clients and public art commissions, to design for production for UK retailers such as SCP, Benchmark, Sitting Firm, Mark Product, and Heal’s. A graduate of Parnham College, she has been self-employed since 1996. Sarah teaches the multiples project of the Comprehensive. For more information, visit her website at sarah-kay.co.uk.

Jim Macdonald creates custom furniture, guitars, and portraits featuring marquetry and inlay in Burnham, Maine. In addition to his own projects, Jim collaborates with other high-end furniture makers as a marquetry specialist. His work has been commissioned by Gibson Guitar's Custom Shop and Hinckley Yachts. His Turandot Cabinet appeared in the "Current Work" section of Fine Woodworking (June, 2001). Jim teaches marquetry for the Comprehensive. His website is jmacwooddesign.com.

Mason McBrien has been the Center’s Facilities Manager since August, 2011, although he still finds time to accept commissions for furniture and wood turning. After years of self-employment building custom furniture, museum installations, and historic garden architecture in New Hampshire, Mason enrolled in the Center’s 2007-2008 Nine-month Comprehensive and subsequently was awarded a Studio Fellowship. His work has been published in Fine Woodworking and in Lark Books’ 500 Tables (2009) and 500 Cabinets (2010).

Tim Rousseau divides his time between building furniture on commission in Appleton, ME and teaching at the Center. He took the Center’s Twelve-week Intensive in 1998 and then spent two years working in a multifaceted group shop in Hoboken, New Jersey before returning to Maine to set up his own business. In 2002 and 2003 he served as the Center’s Resident Instructor, running the Workshop Program. Since then, he has been a lead instructor for the Twelve-week Intensive and has taught the chair project for the Comprehensive. His furniture is shown throughout the Northeast, and his 13-part video series, “Making a Small Cabinet,” is featured on www.finewoodworking.com. Tim’s website is www.timothyrousseau.com.

Side Chair by Tim Rousseau, walnut, leather (19"x21"x31"), 2006

Valdemar Skov is a woodcarver, furniture maker, and engraver, specializing in ornamental carving of fine furniture, accessories, and architectural details, as well as hand-engraving on fine jewelry and tools. A woodworker since 1986, and self-employed since 1990, Valdemar has been formally recognized for his work by the Maine State Legislature and has been featured in numerous articles, including a profile in This Old House magazine. Valdemar works out of his studio in Waldoboro, ME and teaches carving for the Comprehensive. His website is skovwoodcarvingengraving.com.

Basswood Corbel by Valdemar Skov (15" high) 2000

Ian Stewart is Professor of Illustration and Furniture Design at Sheridan College in Toronto. Previously, he taught at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Seneca College, and Ryerson University. He has also worked in corporate commercial and industrial design. Ian teaches drawing for design development for the Comprehensive.

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The mission of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship is to provide the best possible education for people who want to design and build functional, beautiful, and expressive work out of wood to the highest standard of craftsmanship. At the heart of the Center's mission is the belief that design and craftsmanship are deeply meaningful expressions of the human spirit. They contribute to individual fulfillment and, by extension, to the advancement of society.

Our programs are for novice, intermediate, and advanced woodworkers who seek an inspiring learning experience in a supportive environment.